Removing the blockages that prevent the flow of love
Luke 4:21-23, 28-30
Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this
Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also
asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote
me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” When the people in the
synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him
out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had
been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of
them and went away.
Do you know
who are the hardest people to love? You might think they are Islamic terrorists
like ISIS or the Taliban. Maybe it’s hardest to love your boss at work, or a
co-worker who’s trying to take your job. Maybe it’s really hard to love Donald
Trump and Hilary Clinton these days because they’re all we see on T.V.! But
believe it or not, I think the hardest people to love are those we live with,
our own family; not those who live halfway around the world, but those who live
halfway down the hall.
Many of you
know that I just spent a two week vacation with my parents. Part of the
vacation we drove from Little Rock to Orlando, Florida. It’s wasn’t “Driving
Mrs. Daisy,” it was “Driving Mr. AND Mrs. Daisy”! Morgan Freeman has nothing on
me. But over the course of those two weeks something very special happened to
me: I fell in love with my parents again. I noticed that all their quirks and
quarrels didn’t upset me or irritate me so much anymore. In fact, I even began
to enjoy them. Hanging out with my parents is kind of like watching “Everybody
Loves Raymond” and “All In the Family” and “Seinfeld” all in one show! But what
made it possible for me to love my parents was the realization that I needed to
change. I needed to get rid of my critical and condescending attitude and adopt
a more respectful and even reverent one. It used to be that when I went home, I
wanted my parents to spoil me and take care of me. But I’ve learned now that
when I go home I need to spoil my parents and take care of them. You see, the
blockage of love was not in their heart, but in my heart, and I needed a sort
of spiritual by-pass surgery. What makes it hard to love others is not
something in them; it’s something in us, in our heart.
In the
gospel today, Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth, maybe he needed a
two-week vacation, too. And what does Jesus find? He encounters a similar
blockage of love in the heart, in the hearts of his own family members. Jesus
says, “No prophet is accepted in his own native place.” Then, the gospel goes
on to say: “The people…were filled with fury…and led him to the brow of the
hill on which their town was built to hurl him down headlong.” Now, let me ask
you: WHY did the people find it so hard to love Jesus? Was the problem
something in Jesus, or was it something in the people? Obviously, it was
something in the people, but they couldn’t see it. Just like I realized that my
real difficulty in loving my parents was not in them but in me, so too, the
people find it hard to love Jesus because he’s no longer the cute carpenter,
the son of Joseph, who lived down the street. Rather, he has returned as the
Messiah, someone whom they needed to follow as his disciples, and their hearts
were not humble enough to love and follow him. The hardest part of following
Jesus is not because of something in Jesus, but because of something in us, in
our hearts.
This week is
Catholic Schools Week, and I am so pleased we have a Catholic school here at
I.C. Church! Aren’t you?? I want to share with you, in our students’ own words,
what they learn here, especially how they’ve learned the “Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People.” Those habits do not just touch their minds, but also
change their hearts. Just listen to our students. Natalie Hill said, “Being
proactive means doing things before the teacher asks you to do it.” By the way,
her mom is one of our teachers! Andrew Hahn said, “Being proactive means to
find something to do for fun when there’s no one to play with, and do what I’m
supposed to without anyone telling me to do it.” Good job, Andrew! Isabella
Kindrick said, “Habit 2, Begin with the End in Mind, teaches me to study before
a test so that I can make a 100%.” And she does, too! Ann Marie Kersh said,
“Habit 3, Put First Things First” means do your homework first before you go
outside to play.” Now, everyone knows you said that, Ann Marie. Sorry! Dalila
Benavides said, “I mostly demonstrate Habit #3 by doing my homework then
reading a book.” Folks, she reads books for fun – she will probably grow up to
cure cancer.
Carson Lane
said “Think Win-Win is helping others to win and not just thinking about
yourself winning everything.” Thanks for letting others win sometimes, Carson –
that’s very big of you. Kaitlin Seiter
said, “I listen to the people in my group, then I share my idea.” Would that
more parents did that: listen first, talk second! Benjamin Beland said, “I
demonstrate Habit #5 by listening to people and not interrupting.” Emily Harris
said, “Synergizing is important because we get to know each other when we work
together.” And Austin Hughes added, “Synergizing is working together to solve
problems and seeing the bigger picture.” Folks, how many people here can even
spell “synergize”?? Finally, Abby Hunter, who graduated last year, said,
“Sharpening the saw is taking care of ourselves physically, mentally and
spiritually.” But do you see what’s happening in a Catholic school? We’re doing
open-heart surgery! By teaching Catholic Christian values, we’re delicately
removing those blockages in their hearts that prevent the flow of love. So that
our students’ hearts can love their parents and someday spoil them, so their
hearts can love Jesus and humbly be his disciples – instead of throwing him off
a cliff! – and so that their hearts can love even their enemies. In Catholic schools we teach our students
that if you find it hard to love someone, the problem is not in them, it’s in
you, in your heart.
Last week I
looked at Fr. Andrew Hart’s Facebook page – and you know it’s hard to love him
because he’s a Cubs fan. But he shared this quote by Thomas Merton. Listen
carefully. Merton said: “So instead of loving what you think is peace, love others
and love God above all. And instead of hating the people you think are
warmakers, hate the appetites and the disorder in your own soul, which are the
causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed
– but hate these things in yourself, not in another.” Thomas Merton was not
only a good contemplative monk; he was also a decent heart surgeon. And I’m
sure Thomas Merton would have spoiled his parents, too.
Praised be
Jesus Christ!
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